Relationships
by Sehrezad
Summary: The teams of NCIS and Fringe are brought together to solve a bizarre case. Although, it's not just the case that needs to be solved but some personal problems, too. Better summary inside P/O, ZIBBS
1. Going Home

**Relationships**

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything connecting to either of the shows._

_Summery: Olivia's struggling with her feelings for Peter and the guilt of not being honest with him regarding his origin, so she goes to visit her father, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. But Gibbs has his own problems in the person of his young Israeli agent. Meanwhile Peter learns the truth and leaves Walter... __After some misunderstandings and meetings between old lovers and new friends, the two teams are brought together not just to solve a bizarre case but their personal problems, too.__ (Zibbs, P/O)_

_Okay, so I took the liberty and made Gibbs Olivia's father. I tried to stick to the canon in both of the shows as much as I could but obviously I had to divert from it at some places. According to this, Gibbs still married Shannon and they had Kelly but Olivia had been born before that. Her mother married Olivia's step-father and Rachel is her half-sister. That's just the basics. If everything goes according to plans, the details will become clear during the story. The story itself starts during "Jet Lag" (7/13) in NCIS and somewhere after "Olivia. In the Lab. With a Revolver" (2/17) in Fringe._

_Enjoy!_

Chapter 1: Going Home

Olivia pulled into a gas station somewhere around New Jersey and killed the engine with a heavy sigh. She'd been on the road for fives hours now and it was not past noon yet. Her eyes felt heavy but she refused to close them just yet. And anyway, she seriously doubted that she'd be able to get some real sleep even with her being so utterly exhausted. She'd been feeling so tired lately, both physically and mentally, but she just didn't seem to be able to put her mind at rest.

Her consciousness was screaming at her ever since that awful secret of Walter revealed itself to her and her own mind was calling her names she'd never wanted to use regarding herself. She felt disgusted by her own self for giving in to Walter's desperate pleas not to tell a word to Peter about his own past. And the worst thing was that she didn't want to tell him, either. It was easy enough to blame it on the old scientist but Olivia knew that her silence was more than that. She was afraid of losing Peter, as Nina Sharp had pointed out the other day. She knew if Peter found out the truth about his past, he would be furious. He couldn't see Walter's act as the testament of a loving father whose grief over his son made him cross the barriers of universes, he could only see the betrayal in it... the crime of a mad scientist.

And she would be caught in the middle of the family quarrel no doubt as one of the main target of Peter's rage. And he would be right in blaming her, too. By saying nothing, she had betrayed him just like Walter did... and last night she had just made everything worse.

After filling the tank and grabbing a coffee, Olivia parked the car and settled down by a near-by table. She spent the next half an hour or so staring into the dark liquid as it got cold between her hands. She so needed the caffeine but she seriously doubted that her stomach could handle anything at the moment.

Her stomach still clenched whenever the previous night came to her mind – and it seemed to her that it was on her mind all the time – and she just couldn't believe how stupid she'd been. Granted that she had acted on impulse and out of sheer desperation but even then, thinking that sleeping with Peter would change anything was the perfect definition of ridiculous. If anything, it had made things even more complicated and ultimately it made her a traitor even more.

She all but begged him to stay with her because she needed him in her life and he promised her that. Olivia had no doubt that he would keep his promise... if it hadn't been for that secret. Last night, desperate as she had been, in the safe and loving embrace of Peter, Olivia was all too willing to believe that everything would be all right. But as the sun began to rise, Olivia became sure that she had just made the biggest mistake of her life. She didn't regret a single second she had spent with Peter but she regretted the way it finally happened. She sentenced their budding relationship to death right from the beginning. She wanted to cry...

...and she did just that as soon as she got dressed and stepped out of her door, leaving a peacefully sleeping Peter in her bed. She got into her car and she'd been on the road since then, calling Broyles about an hour after leaving Boston and requesting some personal leave. The man, though surprised at first, granted her request and told her to take her time.

And Olivia was planning on doing just that.

She wondered what Peter could be doing at the moment. She imagined him being startled when he woke up and didn't find her lying next him. She could see his crestfallen face when he finally reached the conclusion that she had regretted their night together. It made her heart ache even more… She figured that by now he had been getting worried because he no doubt had spent his morning trying to reach her and talk to her – in vain, of course, because she had turned off her phone as soon as she had finished talking to her boss. She'd give him till the following morning before he began to worry in earnest and he'd go as far as calling Broyles for any information. She felt bad about doing this to him but at the moment it felt easier than staying and looking him in the eye.

Leaving her disturbed thoughts momentarily behind, Olivia frowned into her cold coffee and after discarding it she got back into her car and pulled on the highway. She still had the better half of the road ahead of her but she was sure that she'd be in Washington before night fell.

A little smile appeared on her face... she'd be home soon.

* * *

_As soon as Gibbs stepped into the house, happy giggles reached his ears which in turn made him smile, too. Following the joyful sound of his five-year-old daughter, he stepped into the living room where Shannon was sitting on the couch smiling down at Olivia whose ear was pressed against her large belly._

_When Olivia heard her dad, her head shot up and looked at him with a clearly excited smile._

"_Daddy, daddy! Come here," she urged him then promptly placed her head back on Shannon's belly. The woman laughed at the little girl's attics while she gently stroked her blonde curls and she turned to look at her husband._

_Gibbs quickly sat down next to Shannon and after kissing his wife, he looked down at his daughter who seemed deeply engrossed in listening to the baby._

"_Hey, peanut," he tried to greet the little girl but she cut him off with a "shh". Gibbs gave a bemused look to his wife who couldn't help but laugh at his expression._

"_She tries to find out whether she'll have a brother or a sister," Shannon explained then looked at Olivia whose head suddenly shot up and was looking at the adults with shining eyes._

"_Can I call her Kelly?" she asked, pleading with her eyes._

"_Her?" Gibbs asked back and watched as Olivia nodded seriously._

"_Pleeeease…" Her green eyes were shining with so much excitement that Gibbs suddenly didn't know how to answer his daughter. He didn't want to disappoint her. He knew that she didn't get to name her baby sister, who had been born a couple of months before, because Marilyn, Olivia's mother insisted on calling her Rachel. And he liked Kelly, too…_

"_I like it," Shannon spoke up. "Kelly Gibbs. It sounds nice."_

"_It does, doesn't it?" Gibbs chuckled as he watched his two girls beam at each other clearly satisfied with the baby's name._

* * *

Gibbs stilled his hands on the sander as he could hear movements coming from upstairs. He didn't abandon his work, though, assuming that it was Ziva shuffling around in the house. He was so engrossed in his task at hand that he didn't even realize that Ziva was out of town at the moment.

His youngest agent took up the habit of visiting him not long after their incident with Ben Gidon. She would show up in his house whenever she felt the need for company and Gibbs didn't protest. He always felt more content when he could know Ziva around. And, although he would never admit it, he cherished the sense of domesticity of hearing Ziva working in his kitchen and seeing her moving around the house with an air of familiarity when they were doing the house work – because she'd do that, too, without a word.

Sometimes, he allowed himself the luxury of imagining Ziva as a constant part of his life. He wondered how it would be if he didn't have to say goodbye to her at the end of the day and he were able to kiss her goodnight while holding her in his arms.

But whenever his stubborn mind conjured up those images, he made conscious efforts to expel them. They were just the cruel reminders of what he wanted but couldn't have.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the creaking of the stairs but when he looked up at the descending figure, it wasn't Ziva who greeted him.

"Hey, daddy," the young woman greeted him with an uncertain smile which quickly became a huge grin when the initial surprise of Gibbs wore away and a rare smile appeared on his face. He didn't waste any time to walk up to his daughter and wrap her into his arms.

"Hey, peanut," he murmured into her blonde hair as he squeezed her affectionately before letting her go. "Why didn't you tell me that you're coming?"

"I didn't exactly plan on it," Olivia shrugged, trying to stick to the truth without actually telling her father that she had all but run out of her apartment, leaving the man she loved behind. She didn't want to talk about it just yet and hoped that her father wouldn't pick up on her distress. No such luck, though, because Gibbs expression turned concerned.

"Everything's alright?"

"Yeah, yeah…" Olivia was quick to nod. "I just needed a little time away from everything that's going on right now. I hope you don't mind."

Of course he didn't mind. The only thing he did mind was that Olivia wasn't living with him in Washington, in his house where he could look after her and could have prevented that broken look in her eyes – because he did notice that. However, he didn't mention it. He knew better than to push a subject his daughter was obviously trying to avoid. He'd do that later. For now it was enough for him that his little girl was home; the rest would come eventually and he'd be damned if he didn't try to make everything all right again.

"I'm glad you're here, Liv." He pulled her once again into his embrace.

"Me too, dad," Olivia murmured contentedly. "Me too."

"Come on, let's have a coffee."

"Now, that's a great idea!"

They made their way up and Olivia settled down by the dining table, maintaining a companionable silence. While Gibbs moved around preparing the coffee, he used the opportunity to glance in the direction of the living room and the threshold, quickly noticing the lack of any bag or whatsoever.

"Your bag's still in the car?" he asked casually and when he saw Olivia's sheepish look, he quickly realized that his daughter hadn't been joking when she told him about her visit being totally unplanned. "That unplanned, huh?"

"Well… you can say that I was in a hurry when I left," Olivia stated enigmatically while standing up with the mug of coffee in hand, still determined to avoid the reason behind her sudden visit. It wouldn't be easy, she knew it. Her father was a good interrogator and it was only a matter of time before he'd pop a seemingly irrelevant question, and Olivia would answer whether she was ready or not. But it wouldn't be today.

Gibbs watched as she began wandering around the kitchen and the adjacent living room, taking in everything she saw. He smiled at the investigator in her. She'd been always like that; even as a little girl there were no things left unnoticed by her. She was a keen observer so when she turned back to him, it didn't quite surprised him to see a knowing smile creeping on her face.

"Who is she?" she asked, not beating around the bush. Like her father, it wasn't her style. Gibbs chuckled slightly as he stood, too, and joined her in the living room, sitting down on the couch. Damn good investigator.

Still standing in the middle of the room, Olivia raised a questioning eyebrow when her father kept smirking without giving her an answer.

"She?" Gibbs finally asked back. After all it was just fair to avoid a straight answer when she was doing the same.

"Come on, dad, don't do this. This place is just screaming 'girlfriend' to me," she beamed at him cheekily and Gibbs rolled his eyes. Sometimes it was really annoying that nothing escaped her attention.

"And what makes you say that?" he challenged her.

Olivia just shrugged as she, too, sat down.

"The bookshelves, for once," she pointed out. "You never bothered to put the books in any kind of order. I can remember Shannon always complaining about your sloppiness."

"I wasn't that bad," Gibbs chuckled together with Olivia.

"But you were. And look at your magazines. They're not scattered all over around the place like last time I was here. They are organized like everything here, even your kitchen. Now I really doubt that the man who likes roasting his steak in the fireplace would keep his kitchen in a state like yours is at the moment. And don't even bother telling me," she cut him off, chuckling, when he opened his mouth to protest, "that the marine in you likes keeping everything in military order. That is so not true, dad! Your military training's quite exhausted by making your bed."

"You've got quite a big mouth, Liv. Is that what they teach you at Quantico?"

"Nope," she shook her head, smiling. "I've learnt it somewhere else."

"Of course you have," Gibbs shook his head really amused at his daughter. She was right, however. She was his daughter after all. "Let's make a deal," he proposed. "You tell me what made you run from Boston and I'll tell you what you want to know."

He didn't know why he offered the deal. He knew that Olivia wouldn't go for it. And he immediately regretted it, too, when he saw the smile fade away from her face. He wanted to head-slap himself for his stupidity and he seriously wanted to shoot whoever had hurt his little girl.

The silence in the room began to draw out.

"Her name's Ziva," Gibbs spoke up finally after draining the last of his already cold coffee. "She's one of my agents; you remember – I talked about her."

"Your liaison officer with Mossad?"

"Not anymore," he smiled to himself in spite of himself. It was such a good feeling to know that now Ziva has nothing to do with an organization that hadn't done anything but use her. "She wants to become a US citizen."

Olivia could clearly hear how proud her father was at the woman.

"So, Ziva and you…"

"No," Gibbs quickly interrupted her, looking stern enough for Olivia to know not to pursue the subject any further. "There's nothing between us. She's my agent… my friend. Nothing more." Well, it surely looked otherwise to Olivia but she wisely kept her opinion to herself.

"Is she coming over often?"

"She went through a rough patch not so long ago," he told her, cringing to himself. A "rough patch" would be the understatement of the year. "She needs company. She needs to feel that she belongs."

"I'd like to meet her," Olivia said with a gentle smile. That woman had to be something if her father was acting so unlike himself. Seeing that tender look in his eyes felt strange for Olivia… but a good kind of strange. She had seen him with his ex-wives and some of his girlfriends but none of them had been able to bring this side out of him.

"You will. She's in Paris now and they aren't due back till tomorrow. But until then would you mind making some dinner? I haven't eaten anything decent since she le…" In an instant a cushion hit his face and he laughed out as he looked at a suddenly very indignant Olivia, who nevertheless had a hard time hiding her laughter. "Good to have you here, peanut," Gibbs pulled her closer to him and tousled her hair.

"Hey," Olivia protested giggling like a little girl while trying to wriggle out of her father's grasp. "You just need someone to feed you," she stated, shaking her head in mock disbelief.

"So?"

"You're such a man," she stood up and, after kissing her father's head, she started towards the kitchen.

**TBC**

_Thanks for reading and a special "thank you" goes out to Zivacentric for helping with my English!_


	2. Secrets

**Relationships**

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything._

_Spoilers for "Jat Lag"._

Chapter 2: Secrets

_Paris_

"Will you stop it?" Tony snapped finally fed up with Ziva's tossing and turning in the bed. He could swear that, back when they'd been undercover, it'd been way better to listen to her snoring like a bear, sleeping through the winter than put up with her current performance.

"You are still up," Ziva stated turning on her back and staring up at the ceiling troubled.

"Gee, wondering why," Tony remarked sarcastically as he mirrored her actions and lay on his back.

"Just go to sleep, Tony," Ziva sighed tiredly and Tony was just about to point out that it was impossible to sleep while she was jumping in the bed like a seal in the circus but suddenly the troubled tone of his companion's sigh registered in his brain.

"You alright, Ziva?" he asked sincerely concerned as he looked over at her in the semi-darkness. Ziva was momentarily taken aback by his sudden change of tone and the unusual sincerity in it. It took her a couple of seconds before she turned to him and gave him a small smile.

"Yes, Tony, I am all right," she answered.

"Well, you're obviously not," Tony pointed out as he pulled himself up in a sitting position and leant against the headboard. "Something's clearly bugging you."

"Please, Tony," Ziva drawled slightly annoyed then turned on her side, facing away from him.

"Oh no, Missy, you're not doing this," Tony chuckled not ready to drop the subject and using his most charming tone to get Ziva talk but when he heard the woman scoff ruefully, his expression suddenly turned serious again. "I'm serious, Ziva. Ever since you returned from Somalia you're closing yourself off from us. You've never talked to any of us about what had happened there. You dealt with it on your own, forgetting that we were there to help you. And now I really don't care if you'd shoot me for trying but I won't let you dismiss me with an 'I'm fine'. I'm your friend, Ziva." Tony was intently watching Ziva's back as he waited for any kind of reaction.

Ziva, on the other hand, was lying still. She really wanted to shoot Tony. However, she was still under the influence of the genuine – and oh so rare – sincerity of his voice so after several moments of silence, she found herself sitting up and joining Tony by the headboard.

"It is not true, you know," she began in a solemn tone. Tony looked at her confused before she continued. "I did talk to Gibbs."

"You did?" Tony asked back and Ziva nodded in confirmation.

"I found his silence more comforting than your eager support," she explained. "I am sorry but I just could not take it."

"I see," Tony gave her a little nod in understanding but he couldn't help the disappointment echoing in his voice.

"But it does not mean that it was not appreciated." She gave Tony a little smile in the semi-dark room which was returned when she squeezed his hand gratefully.

"And now?" Tony asked, referring to their current situation. "I can be your silent support," he said, half joking, which earned him a little chuckle from the Israeli woman. "No, seriously. I'll make my best Gibbs impression," and he promptly assumed a grave expression. "And I'll shut up, of course." He turned to Ziva and couldn't help cracking a smile when he saw how her mouth was twitching with barely-contained laughter. "Really, Ziva," Tony finally continued in a more somber tone, "I'll do whatever you need, just let me help you."

Ziva's face turned serious, too, as she regarded Tony for a little while.

"It is not that easy for me to talk about these things," she sighed.

"It's understandable. I can't even begin to imagine what happened to you in Somalia."

"It is not about that." Ziva shook her head with a sad smile. "I can finally put those months behind me. I will never forget what happened there but I can live with it and accept it as a part of me. I moved on… but maybe not everybody is ready to do so."

"What do you mean?"

Ziva looked at Tony as if contemplating whether she should tell him or she'd better stay silent. It wasn't easy for her. She'd never been the one for whom it comes easy to share her emotions and now that she was facing Tony, who seemed eager to lend her an ear, she was uncertain how to proceed. She loved Tony, it wasn't a question. She was one of her best friends. But trusting him with her feelings and thoughts had never been easy. She just never knew when to expect him to throw it all back to her face.

"It is about Gibbs," she told him finally. The look on Tony's face would have been really amusing if they'd been in a different situation. "Do not look at me like that. You know what I mean."

"Well, at this point I'm not entirely sure about that. You mean that you had a thing for the boss-man? A crush?"

"It is not a crush, Tony. I am in love with him."

A long silence followed this statement while Tony tried to process the information.

"Wow!" he finally breathed into the darkness. "How did I miss it?"

"Do not be too hard on yourself. You are not the only one who missed it."

"Oh." Tony looked at Ziva, understanding downing on him. "So, if I understand it correctly, you're in love with the man but he doesn't know it. Well, I'm not a relationship expert," he delivered his opinion but Ziva's mocking chuckle interrupted him. "Not funny, okay? Anyway, I think you should talk to him and tell him."

"It is not that simple, Tony."

"It certainly sounds so to me. He doesn't know so you should let him know."

"You do not understand. I think he knows it… and I think he ignores it."

"Okay…" Tony drawled, thinking. "Still, you should talk to him," he concluded convinced that talking was the solution.

"Tony, do not take it the wrong way but as you said it, you are not a relationship expert."

"I may not be but it's not my idea," he pointed out. Ziva looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Abbytoldmeonce," Tony mumbled clearly embarrassed.

"Oh… Does it work?"

"I wouldn't know. I was too much of a coward to try it. But you have the balls and I think it's worth a shot."

For a long time Ziva just looked at Tony, considering what he had just told her. Finally it weren't the words that convinced her but the expression on his friend's face. If Ziva wasn't mistaken, she could see sadness in his eyes and something else… maybe regret. It was something she didn't want to feel.

"All right," she nodded finally with a little smile then reached out with one hand and, pulling Tony's cheek closer to her, she put a little kiss on it. "Thank you."

"You're most welcome." A huge grin appeared on his face, clearly satisfied with himself. He, then, turned to Ziva with a serious expression. "Anything to make you sleep. I really need my beauty-sleep, you know."

"Of course," Ziva shook her head, smiling then she turned on her side and lay down, puling the cover over her. Tony followed suit and lay down, facing away from her. For a little while he was thinking back to that conversation he had with Abby all those years ago.

Finally he closed his eyes, ready to fall asleep but they shot open when he heard Ziva begin to snore. He groaned as he buried his head into the pillow. He could swear that Ziva was doing it on purpose.

* * *

McGee felt terrible… not to mention a complete idiot. Just what kind of an agent lets his boss jump in front of a car for him? Sitting in the uncomfortable plastic chair of the hospital waiting room, he leant forward and buried his face into his hands. Besides, feeling guilty for Gibbs' injury, he was dreading in advance what Tony might possibly say about his little fiasco. He'd never hear the end of it.

He let out a troubled sigh just as he could feel somebody walk past him. He looked up and saw a young woman walk up to the reception desk. She was wearing a pair of worn jeans and a dark brown leather jacket. Her long blond hair was falling freely over her shoulders as she leant against the reception desk. McGee had just turned away to sink back into self-pity when he could hear Gibbs' name pass the woman's lips. His head snapped back towards the mysterious woman as genuine confusion appeared on his face.

Who was that woman and why was she asking for Gibbs?

He was still staring at the woman stunned when she turned towards the row of chairs McGee was also occupying and sat down next to him, giving him a somewhat awkward smile when the young agent just kept staring her. McGee quickly recovered after that and turned away embarrassed.

There was something in that woman that caught his attention. Well, apart from the fact that she seemed to be waiting for Gibbs, too. From the corner of his eye, he kept stealing glances at her, watching as she leant her arms on her legs, bending forward in her seat. She was fidgeting with her fingers while her feet were beating on the floor. She reminded him of Ziva and he had to smile. That same restlessness was emanating from the blond woman that Ziva usually displays when, in spite of being ready to act, she is forced to stand still.

"What are you doing here?" McGee was snapped out of his thoughts by Gibbs' sudden appearance. He quickly jumped up from his seat to greet his boss, whose arm was in a sling, with awkward stammering.

"I… Well…"

"Not you," Gibbs rolled his eyes. "You," he pointed at the woman with raised eyebrows.

"I couldn't reach you at your phone," the woman stood up, not at all intimidated by Gibbs rude manner, "so I called NCIS and guess what? They told me that you are in the hospital. You didn't even think about calling me?" Now she looked hurt and it was clear that she was worried about the older man. McGee kept silent as he observed the scene in front of him. It seemed surreal and it just became even more so when Gibbs - instead of shrugging off the woman's concern as McGee had expected him to do - stepped up to her with a gentle expression and kissed her on the forehead.

"I'm sorry," he told her sincerely and McGee's eyes bulged out of his head.

"Never apologize," the woman smiled at him which Gibbs returned. She didn't need his apology. She just wanted to know that he was all right. "Anyway, I just came to collect you. That is unless you're planning on driving yourself home because you obviously don't need me." Now she was cocky, McGee noted amused.

"Funny," Gibbs scoffed, putting his good arm around the woman's shoulder. "You just want me to tell you that I need you." The woman didn't even deny that and Gibbs didn't hesitate to lean closer to his companion to whisper something into her ear. The smile on her face left little doubt in McGee's mind as of the nature of his boss' answer. "Now, let's get out of here."

McGee could swear that the woman gave him an apologetic look as Gibbs guided her towards the exit without giving the younger man a second look. He was too stunned even to move so by the time he managed to collect his thoughts, the pair had gotten quite far.

"Uhm, Boss?" he called after the man, trying to find out what he was supposed to do now.

"You can pick me up at 0700 sharp tomorrow, McGee," Gibbs threw behind his back at which McGee just nodded. "What?" He could hear Gibbs asking the woman as they kept moving. "I jumped in front of a car because of him, the least he can do is to help me." As he looked after the disappearing couple, McGee sighed resigned to his fate and still genuinely confused about the woman's identity. Did Gibbs get a new girlfriend?

A huge grin appeared on his face.

* * *

"I tell you, Abby," Ziva heard McGee chatting away with Abby in a low voice when she arrived into the squad room, "Gibbs has a new girlfriend."

Ziva froze for a moment but she quickly gathered her acts and was able to proceed with her morning routine as usual.

"You saw her?" Abby's cheery voice reached the young agent's ears as she settled down into her chair just in time to see McGee nod with a cheeky smile. "Tell me about her!" Abby demanded, practically bouncing on the man's desk.

"Well… She's medium built and has long blond hair. And she's got beautiful green eyes," McGee told almost dreamily but when he saw the narrowed look Abby was giving him, he quickly switched to objective. "She's younger than Gibbs… way younger." Ziva frowned, pretending that she was concentrating on her computer screen. "Actually, she's Ziva's age, I'd say."

"And what is that supposed to mean, McGee?" Ziva snapped suddenly, drawing the others' attention to her. "There is nothing wrong with a larger age-difference between… partners."

"Geez, Ziva," Abby wrinkled her nose slightly annoyed. "You're acting as if we were talking about you and Gibbs." This remark left the younger woman speechless and all she could do was to blink stunned at her friends. A mischievous grin was quick to appear on Abby's face as she regarded a still speechless Ziva. "My, my, Agent David…" Her expression left little doubt concerning what she was about to say and if possible, Ziva felt even more miserable than before.

"You are having your eyes on Gibbs," she stated, that mischievous glint in her green eyes never fading. Ziva groaned, closing her eyes. Why did Abby find that prospect so amusing? What was so funny about the idea of her and Gibbs? "That is so cool, isn't it, Timmy? Oh, just imagine those little Gibblets… I bet they'd be born with a knife and that annoying smirk of Gibbs' on their tinny little lips…"

"Abby," Ziva tried to silence Abby but the Goth just kept on babbling, making Ziva grow irritated by Abby's comments which her friend hadn't meant to be insulting for sure but they hurt nonetheless. "Abby! Shut up!" Ziva snapped finally and suddenly there was deadly silence in the squad room. Abby and McGee were blinking stunned while Ziva was breathing heavily.

That was the moment when Tony arrived. After his trip to Paris he was obviously in a good mood but the large grin that he was sporting suddenly froze on his face as he took in the faces of his friends.

"Wow," he shivered theatrically. "Is it just me or it's really freezing in here?" he asked, trying to break the ice. Nobody answered him, though. McGee looked scared as he kept staring at the two women in front of him while Abby looked at a guilty-looking Ziva shocked. "All right, kids," Tony didn't give up. "What happened here?"

"I… I am sorry, Abby." It was Ziva who spoke up. "I should not have snapped." And with that, she silently went to sit behind her desk and began to work. Tony followed her with narrowed eyes then turned his attention back to Abby. He raised an eyebrow questioningly and Abby looked suitably chastised.

"I don't know what happened," she began in a small voice. "McGee was talking about Gibbs' new girlfriend he met yesterday and Ziva got all worked up and I just thought that it would be fun to tease her with the boss-man."

"Well, apparently you thought wrong," Tony gave Abby an uncharacteristically cold glance. "And I really don't think that Gibbs' personal life is any of your business, Abby. Maybe you should go back to work instead of gossiping with McGirly." After giving McGee a reproaching look, Tony turned and sat down by his desk.

Abby looked at McGee stunned, clearly not understanding Tony's attitude. She would have understood it if it had been Gibbs. But Tony? He was usually all in for the dirty little secrets of the others and he would surely not pass up on a chance to tease Ziva. She slowly walked up to Ziva's desk and stopped next to her chair then waited till the other woman looked up at her.

"I'm sorry, too, Ziva," she told her then gave her a quick hug before scurrying off. She never stopped wondering about that incident for the rest of the day.

**TBC**

_Thanks for reading!_


	3. Back When

**Relationships**

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything._

Chapter 3: Back When…

For the last couple of days Walter had been silently watching as Peter tried to get hold of Olivia. When he asked about the young FBI agent, Peter mumbled something about Broyles and some personal time then left the old man with a troubled expression. After getting that piece of information and observing Peter's behavior in the following days, it didn't take long for the scientist to add two and two together and get four. He might be insane but he was by no means stupid… or blind. His son and Olivia had definitely slept together! And Walter couldn't be more ecstatic.

At the moment he was happily working away in his lab, humming the tunes of some cheesy love song while easily blocking out every warning remark coming from Astrid regarding his present work. He hadn't even noticed Peter's absence until he wanted to ask his opinion about the names "Albert" or "Isaac"… for his first grandson, of course.

Yes, in his mind Walter had already attended his son's wedding where Peter was standing by the altar in Walter's old purple tuxedo while Walter walked the happy bride down the aisle. Olivia was calling him "dad" and he had at least a dozen beautiful grandchildren. And he was never slow to point out that just how important his, in his opinion very subtle remarks were in the process of Peter and Olivia finally realizing their true feelings for each other.

When Walter couldn't find Peter, he returned to his work with a shrug but then it hit him. He couldn't be sure why that idea had just occurred to him but he knew without a doubt that he was right. Olivia wasn't around because of him and his awful secret.

He quickly abandoned his work and went to look for Peter. He had to talk to him.

He finally found him in Olivia's office sitting on the old couch.

"Peter?" he stepped up to Peter hesitantly.

"What now, Walter," Peter snapped impatiently but regretted it almost immediately when he saw Walter recoil nervously. "I'm sorry, Walter," he assumed a different tone and shifted on the couch to be able to face his father. "I've just got too much on my mind. What can I do for you?"

"I think I know why Agent Dunham left so abruptly after you had had intercourse."

"Gee, Walter," Peter frowned at his father's bluntness. Not to mention that putting it that way, it sounded all too bad.

"What? You think that I'm stupid?" the old man asked indignantly, his previous nervousness taken over momentarily by hurt pride.

"You know what, Walter? Just tell me what you think you know," Peter opted for hearing the old man out instead of arguing with him.

"I think I know why Agent Dunham left."

"You've already told me that, Walter," Peter sighed.

"Oh…" Walter looked slightly confused as he tried to remember what he had already shared with his son. "Really?" he chuckled nervously and when he looked Peter straight in the eyes, Peter's stomach dropped.

"God, Walter. What the hell did you tell her this time?"

"Nothing. I swear I didn't tell her a thing. She just figured it out. I… I just…"

"What, Walter?" Now Peter was getting more and more anxious. "What did you do?"

"Son, you have to understand that whatever I might have done, I love you."

"You're making me nervous, Walter," Peter chuckled indeed nervously as he stood up and put a hand on his father's shoulder. "Just tell me what you think you know about Olivia. I know whatever you might have told her, you didn't mean it. You like her."

"Yes," Walter looked Peter in the eye with a little shy smile. "I really like her, Peter."

"You see," Peter smiled at the man relieved. It couldn't be anything serious after all. "She might have taken it in the wrong way whatever you told her but I'm sure it's not the reason why she suddenly disappeared. Don't worry about it, Walter. You haven't done anything wrong."

"I'm afraid I have."

"All right. Then tell me what you told her."

"I asked her to keep a secret for me, a secret that has been weighing on my soul for a very long time now." Suddenly the old man seemed very grave and Peter didn't know why but it scared him.

"Go on," Peter urged him gently, not really sure whether he wanted to know.

"She saw the glimmer, Peter," Walter told him, his grave expression softened by sadness.

"I knew that, Walter."

"She saw the glimmer around you… and I asked her not to tell you. I wasn't re…"

"What are you talking about?" Of course, he knew what Walter was talking about but found it extremely hard to take it in. He wasn't from this universe… and Olivia knew that, too. He felt sick to his core.

"Son," Peter visibly winced and Walter had to struggle for words. "I wanted you to know… Let me tell you what happened and you'll understa…"

"No," Peter interrupted him harshly. "I understand it all right. You lied to me," he practically spat into Walter's face. "And you made Olivia lie to me, too. I'm disgusted with you."

"Peter…"

"No," Peter didn't even give him the chance to talk as he turned his back on him and, grabbing his jacket, he started towards the door. "I don't care what you want to say… and frankly, I don't care about you."

With eyes glistening with tears, Walter watched as Peter left the room and closed his eyes as he could hear the door to the lab slam. He hoped that it wasn't the last time that he'd seen his son.

* * *

Gibbs stared into the amber liquid then lifted the glass to down its content. The glass, however, disappeared from his grasp before it could have reached his mouth.

"Hey," he protested and watched as his daughter swallowed his bourbon in one large gulp. Yep, Olivia was a Gibbs through and through.

"What," she raised an eyebrow innocently. "It wouldn't really go well with your painkiller."

"Killjoy," Gibbs muttered not at all happy.

"Yeah, I get that a lot." Olivia screwed up her nose, not taking offence at her father's remark, and, after pouring another round in the glass, accompanied by her father's amused look, she settled down next to him on the couch.

"You know, I should really feel concerned about your drinking habit." Gibbs raised an eyebrow.

"Oh come on, dad, I could keep up with you before I'd turned eighteen."

"Yeah, I shoulda' felt concerned about that, too," Gibbs chuckled as he leant back on the couch.

"But you didn't," Olivia smiled back at him. "That was so cool," Olivia declared and Gibbs felt pride swell in his chest as he could hear clear admiration in his daughter's voice. He was a cool dad. "While the others kept sneaking around their parents, I just sat down with you and a bottle of bourbon and we had a good time."

"You know your grandparents thought that I was the worst of fathers because I let you get away with anything." Actually Marilyn's parents thought him to be the worst kind of men after he had got their little girl pregnant and didn't even marry her. It never really mattered to them that Gibbs did propose to her but Marilyn turned him down.

"You are the best, dad. And they were like John Winthrop anyway. Plus, I doubt that there was anything I could do to get into their good books. I was a lost cause for them."

Gibbs looked at his daughter suddenly not feeling like smiling anymore.

"You never liked it there," he stated and slowly, Olivia shook her head as she looked into her glass, feeling guilty about her admission because she knew how hard it was for her father to let her go with her grandparents after her mother had died.

Olivia knew that her father had filed for custody a couple of times during her childhood. She also knew that he had never wanted to take her away from her mother. However, after getting a call from Marilyn and learning that Olivia had shot her abusive step-father, Gibbs was on the first plane to Jacksonville, Florida to take her little girl with him. He was beyond furious and Marilyn listened silently as he gave voice to his anger in a rather harsh way. He regretted it afterwards, knowing that the last thing poor woman needed was another man to tell her how useless she was. But he was worried and not only about Olivia, but about Marilyn, too.

Years after the incident, when Gibbs was telling her what exactly had happened that day, Olivia could still see the anger in his eyes. He was angry at her mother for letting things go as far as when even a nine-year-old thought that the only solution was to shoot her step-father. And he was angry at himself for not noticing that her mother's marriage had been a disaster. She knew that the guilt he felt over it would never leave him.

The court finally denied his request for custody but as that bastard of a husband had disappeared from their life, Gibbs didn't say a thing. After all he knew that Olivia loved her mother dearly and he also knew that Marilyn was a good mother even though she had made a bad choice. He kept a closer look on them, though.

Then her mother died.

Olivia was disappointed when her father asked her to go with her grandparents. She wanted to go with her father but he told her that he hadn't wanted to tear her away from her sister. For a long time Olivia couldn't understand why her father didn't want to have her. Little did she know how hard it had been for Gibbs to make that decision and let her go.

Olivia downed her second glass of bourbon and put down the glass before she turned to her father.

"You made the right decision," she told him with a serious but gentle expression. "I might not have felt it at the time but you were right when you told me that I should stay with my sister. Knowing that I will always have her is certainly worth those years spent with the Führers."

They both smiled a little at that then Gibbs reached out and pulled his daughter into his arms.

"I wanted to take you…" He kissed her head. "I'd just lost Shannon and Kelly… I didn't want to lose you, too."

"You didn't. Life's just fucked up that way" Olivia shrugged. "And anyway, we are here," she nudged her father playfully, "you and me. And you'll always be the best dad of the world no matter what you do."

"Yes?" Gibbs arched an eyebrow. "So would you let the best dad of the world shoot that son of a bitch who made you run back here?"

"And why are you assuming that I'm here because of a guy?" Olivia sat back up. Gibbs could see that, despite her light tone, her posture tensed. He continued nonetheless.

"Well, if it was a bad guy who got away, you would be out their not stopping till you get them. If it was some other thing related to your job, you would have stayed at home, brooding on your own. So nothing left but a guy who is always around…"

"Wow, that's some detective work, Agent Gibbs," Olivia looked at her father with mock appreciation.

"Duh, I didn't get my badge for nothing, you know."

"Of course not."

"Liv," Gibbs sat up, too. "You just have to tell his name and I'll make sure that he doesn't hurt anybody else. Or it's enough if you just nod, I'll find him…"

Olivia sighed.

"Believe me, dad, if he had done something I'd be the first to make sure he won't reproduce," Olivia told him while standing up. Gibbs was sure that Olivia could defend herself but it never hurt to play the protective father once in a while, even if his little girl didn't need it. "I'll go and do the dishes." That was it. The conversation was over.

"Liv," Gibbs looked after his daughter concerned. Olivia looked back at him with an expression that told her father to back off. Gibbs sighed. "I'll be down in the basement." He didn't dare to push the subject farther, instead he retreated to his basement to brood on his own.

* * *

Ziva left the bar feeling slightly better. Of course, it could be thanked to the amount of bourbon she had consumed in the last two hours. She wasn't drunk, though, just somewhat tipsy… tipsy enough to be less aware of the edge of her disappointment.

Gibbs had a girlfriend.

Ziva shook her head annoyed at her willingness to wallow in self-pity and made a conscious effort to refocus her thoughts on something else other than her miserable private life. She stopped in front of a shop window which displayed beautiful jewelry but it wasn't the reason why she had stopped there. After a short time a sly smile appeared on her face as she continued walking.

She'd just found her distraction.

She had a tail, she knew that all right but she tried to ignore it. She thought that it must be a freak who was trying to brush up the courage to speak to her. But he was still on her heals even after she had left the bar. She thought that she had a glimpse of a familiar face back in the bar but she was sure that the man whom she thought she saw was out of the country. Now, though, she was sure that she hadn't been seeing things.

With a quick turn she stepped into a dark alley and waited.

The man didn't know what hit him when he found himself pressed up against the wall and with an armed pressed against his throat.

"You are getting sloppy," Ziva remarked wryly but her eyes were sparkling with mirth.

"And you are still good," the man croaked, trying to give her a little smile. It wasn't easy at all as her arm on his neck gave him a hard time to breath. "Would you mind…"

"Oh… Sorry." For a moment, as she loosened her hold on his neck, Ziva looked sheepish.

"Fancy meeting you here," he touched his throat tentatively.

"It certainly is," Ziva agreed with a warm smile. "Last time I heard from you, you were in the middle of some shady business in Iraq. Actually I began to think that they caught you at last because you have not written a line ever since."

"Yeah, my life's kind of got a little bit complicated," the man shrugged. "And just for the record, I tried to contact you after I got back but I was told that you went back to Israel."

"Yes, twice, actually," Ziva shrugged, too. "My life has got complicated, too."

"Nice. What about a drink?" the man offered. "We can pour out our hearts over a beer or something. Reminiscing about old times?"

"That would me nice," Ziva's eyes lit up. "I really need a good laugh. You remember when we first met?"

The man just rolled his eyes as he put his hand on the small of her back and gently guided her out of the alley. Trust her to bring that up.

"All right, laugh it up," he told her.

"Oh come on, that was just hilarious."

"Not so much from where I stood," the man pointed out, remembering the time when he spent a long night in a not-so-friendly room without windows while he tried to explain it to some Mossad agents – very skeptical Mossad agents at that – that he was not the bad guy they had been looking for. Nobody wanted to believe his admittedly curious story, except for one young officer.

"Oh, I am sure of it. Hiding from the Syrian mukhabarat and some very influential, and may I add pissed off business men you end up running from a tribe of angry Bedouins in Jordan just to find yourself face to face with half a dozen armed Israeli agents who mistake you for a hiding terrorist. You have to admit that it is quite an amazing story."

"Yeah, you were the only one who actually believed it."

"I did not believe a word of it. You were just kind of cute," Ziva winked at her friend and he laughed out, pulling her closer.

"It's good to see you, Zee."

"It is good to see you, too, Peter."

After finding a little bar, they settled down in a secluded booth and Ziva ordered a round of bourbon for both of them.

"What's up with the bourbon?" Peter asked surprised. "I've never seen you drink one." Well, except for not so long ago in the other bar where he accidentally spotted her sitting by the bar, downing quite a few glasses of the amber liquid.

Truth was that he hadn't exactly planned on visiting her. He didn't plan anything actually; he just wanted to get away from Boston, Walter, and the memory of his night with Olivia, a night which obviously was a mistake, or at least as far as Olivia was concerned, it seemed.

While he couldn't be angry at her for keeping Walter's secret from him, because it really wasn't her place to tell him, he felt hurt by her sudden disappearance. If anything, her presence would have made the blow of Walter's revelation a little bit more bearable. He would at least know that there was a place where he belonged. But then again, of course, without Olivia's departure, Walter would probably have kept his secret…

That whole damn situation was frustrating and all he wanted to do was get away from it.

He didn't even know what brought him to Washington at the first place. However, watching as Ziva shrugged noncommittally and offered him an "I acquired a taste for it" as an explanation accompanied by an enigmatic smile, he didn't mind at all that he had ended up there.

They kept talking about the past but after a while – and after about three rounds of shots – the conversation took a turn and Peter found himself talking about his new life in Boston and how he thought that the relationship between him and his father had been on the mend and how it all came tumbling down at the end. Of course, it wasn't easy to stick to the truth without looking like a complete loony but it was good to talk about it with somebody. He didn't mention Olivia, though.

Ziva didn't mention her feelings for her boss, either. However, she had her share of screwed up father-child relationship so after Peter had told her about his relationship with his father and the old man's life-long lie, she told him about her father letting her die in Somalia.

They raised their glasses after that and drank to their families.

Then they set to celebrate Ziva's application for American citizenship…

After some more couple of shots, the events got somewhat blurry for the couple and after a while they realized that they weren't in the bar anymore. They were lying on a bed which Ziva recognized as her own, but it was only an insignificant detail, because at the moment she was in Peter's arms as he lay on top of her, caressing her, kissing her. In the next instant she found herself on the top and she quickly decided with her foggy mind that it was just all right. She would gladly reminiscent about the past this way, too.

"That's a bad idea," Peter breathed as Ziva was busy unbuttoning his shirt; he didn't make any move to stop her, though.

The woman didn't even bother to react to that observation as she was too engrossed in what she was doing. Peter was, too, and man, he was enjoying it. "I'm in love with another woman," he managed to say in a half-hearted attempt as Ziva reached the last button and began working on his belt buckle.

After undoing it, Ziva climbed up on Peter's chest like a cat sneaking upon her pray then gave him a wicked grin.

"Good," she drawled huskily, her lips only millimeters from his. "I am in love with another man."

That was all both of them needed to know. They understood.

They could have stopped there and gone back licking their wounds but found it better to find acceptance and love in each others' arms.

**TBC**

_Thanks for reading!_


	4. Conversations

**Relationships**

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything connecting to either of the shows._

_Yay, I managed to write a new chapter! I'm not completely satisfied with it but I wanted to continue this story so badly. Anyway... Enjoy!_

Chapter 4: Conversations

Ziva sighed deeply into her pillow as she regained consciousness. Despite the fact that her brain was pulsating, it felt nice, she concluded but she couldn't tell the reason why. That was until she could feel the bed shift under her and found herself pulled into the strong chest of a man.

Peter, she realized and couldn't help the lazy smile that crept on her face. That explained everything. The dull headache and the dry mouth, too. She ignored those, though, and concentrated on the nice feeling of knowing somebody next to her. She really missed the feeling of it. Ever so slightly she squeezed the hand that came to hold her smaller one and almost immediately she could feel Peter squirm behind her and she pressed into his chest even more when his leg found its way between hers and he buried his face into her tousled curls.

"Hmmornin'," Ziva heard him mumble still half-asleep.

"Good morning," Ziva replied in a more alert tone. "That is nice, yes?" She voiced her thoughts and smiled when Peter nodded in agreement.

"Very much so." She could hear that he still wasn't fully awake. She lay silently for some time, savoring the moment but she couldn't help the thought to which she finally gave voice.

"It is too bad that we should not repeat it."

"You regret what we did?" Now he was fully awake, and concerned, too.

Ziva shifted to turn and face him then gave him a smile as she propped her head on her hand.

"No," she shook her head and reached out to caress his cheek with her free hand. She looked down at Peter, taking in his features and wondering – not for the first time – how incredibly cute he looked in the morning. "But it is not the way to deal with things," she sighed, referring back to their quite inebriated confessions the night before.

"Yeah…" Peter agreed, letting his mind wander only for a moment. "And we'd never work anyway," he added, pulling her closer with a grin.

"We have already established that when?" she lent down and put a light kiss on his lips, smiling all the while. "Seven years ago? Yes? And if I remember correctly, we could never really stick to that," Ziva just kept smiling, remembering the countless occasions when, against their better judgment, they ended up in similar situations. "We should really have more self-restrain."

"True," Peter's laugh vibrated in his chest. "Or more common sense."

"Very true," Ziva conceded and they fell silent.

"Sometimes I wish I could love you that way," Peter caressed her cheek after a while and his solemn voice stood in strong contrast with his previously playful tone.

"Me too," the content smile disappeared from Ziva's face, too as she regarded Peter almost wistfully. "It would make things so much easier," she said in a low voice then raised a questioning eyebrow when Peter gave her a knowing smile.

"Somehow I doubt that, Zee."

"Why?"

"Just try to imagine it. We, falling in love, getting married, moving into a nice house in the suburbs, having kids, maybe a dog… living happily ever after." Peter watched amused as Ziva pursed her lips, trying to imagine all of that and smiled when she finally burst out laughing.

"You are probably right. It just sounds like a bad romantic movie. The conman and the assassin settling down…You would walk out on me after the first few months…"

"Probably… after you start throwing knives at me when we argue about trivial things like who should take out the garbage," Peter laughed with Ziva but after a while both of their laughter died away. "We've never been the ones for settling down. That's why we could never work back then."

"People change," Ziva told him then sighed when she realized their predicament. "And that is why we cannot work this time." Her voice was so small that it almost got lost in the silent room.

They were good together, years before when the excitement was enough for them to get them caught up in the moment. They were in love and they would never deny that but after the first few exciting weeks, they shifted apart and only friendship remained.

"So what is she like?" Ziva asked finally. "She must be special if you were willing to stay in one place for more than three weeks." With Ziva wrapped up in his arms, Peter wanted to deny it. He wanted to tell her that it was his father who kept him in one place but he clearly remembered Olivia's pleading green eyes when she asked him to stay after the death of her boyfriend. He was ready to pack up and leave everything once again. But he stayed… he even gave Walter a chance… because of her.

"She is special," he agreed finally but not without feeling guilty. "Well, she's like you in many ways," he added.

"That is flattering." Ziva laid her head on his chest.

"No, really." He stroked her bare back absentmindedly. "She's strong, stubborn and she isn't one to fool around. She carries a gun, too." Ziva chuckled. "And she's beautiful."

"And what happened? You did not work out? You did not even try? Or you did what you do best, run?"

"You know, Ziva, for the first time in my life it wasn't me who ran." Silence settled on them as neither of them knew what to say. Ziva wanted to give him words of comfort and understanding but she knew it would sound hollow because all she could think was 'Now you know the feeling'. She'd never held it against Peter that he had left the way he did – after all they remained good friends throughout the years – but it didn't change the fact that it hurt. "Your turn," Peter broke the outstretching silence. "What's he like?"

"Well, he is nothing like you," Ziva shrugged.

"Good for you."

"And he has got a girlfriend," she elaborated ruefully.

"Damn, it definitely sucks being either of us."

"That it does," Ziva agreed through a sigh as she pushed herself up from Peter's chest, not really wishing to continue the commiseration. "All right, I have to go to work," she stated, leaving the bed but continuing to talk over her shoulder. "I have a spare key in the bowl next to the door. You can stay here as long as you want."

"I don't want to intrude."

"You don't. I would like to have you here at least until you get on the road once again. Of course, you are sleeping on the couch." With that she disappeared in the bathroom only to stick out her head once again. "Oh, and you are doing the grocery shopping." Giving him a huge smile, she disappeared once again.

* * *

"Morning, Boss," Tony raised his head to look at Gibbs as soon as the man exited the elevator. Tony frowned at the sight of the older man then a wicked grin appeared on his face. "You look a little… worn. Long night?"

"You have no idea, DiNozzo," the team leader muttered as he stormed past DiNozzo's desk and took his seat.

Actually he had spent the night in the basement wandering what was going on in his daughter's life and feeling sorry for himself about what was not going on in his life. Olivia worried him with her stubborn avoidance of the subject while his inability to deal with his own situation frustrated him.

He took a quick glance at the neighbouring desk but it was empty.

He didn't want to admit it to himself but he missed his young Israeli agent and he felt disappointed that she had not visited him the night before. He felt anticipation at the prospect of Ziva meeting Olivia. He was sure that the two women would get along well. Neither of them was one to open up easily but somehow he doubted that it would be a problem. Or maybe it was just only him who wished for them to become friends so easily.

It was just natural for a man to hope for his child and the woman he loved to like each other.

However, this line of thoughts troubled him, too. After all, the woman he loved was the same age as his daughter. Ziva was a beautiful young woman who deserved a young handsome man. He wanted to be that man but he was anything but. And he felt ridiculous just for thinking about these things.

"What'll we do today?" Tony's question snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Work, DiNozzo," Gibbs suggested curtly, not bothering to hide his annoyance.

Tony, after risking one lat comment about Gibbs private life and him being grumpy, turned to his paper work, sulking. Gibbs did the same, but as time passed, he kept glancing at Ziva's desk more often. At some point, McGee had arrived, too so when Ziva rushed in some half an hour later, three pair of eyes looked at her curiously.

Gibbs watched as she mumbled a quick "Sorry" and some not-so-convincing excuses for her being late before she quickly set to work. He was still watching when Ziva and Tony engaged in a not-so-subtle silent communication which consisted of Tony grinning like a cat that had just swallowed that canary and Ziva, after some eye-rolling, giving him a coy smile.

Suddenly Gibbs felt irritated. In one motion, he jumped to his feet and discarded of his now empty coffee mug then started towards the elevator without a word.

"Hey, McGee," Tony spoke up as soon as Gibbs' figure disappeared, "go and see if Abby's in yet, will you?"

"I'm quite sure that Abby's already in," McGee informed Tony with furrowed brows.

"Well, I'm not interested in what you think, Probie. I told you to go and check it."

"I have work to do, Tony," now McGee was getting annoyed.

"Then take it with you," Tony gave him a pointed look which McGee finally caught on.

"Ahm... all right," he began to stand and collect his papers. "I'll go and check on Abby."

Tony's eyes followed McGee as he left for the elevator and as soon as the younger man disappeared from sight, he was on his feet walking up to Ziva. She let out an exasperated sigh, knowing what would come.

"So…" And it came indeed. "I see you're working on getting over the bossman." Tony casually leant against the edge of her desk with arms crossed over his chest.

"I do not know what you are talking about." Ziva didn't even look at him.

"Come on, Ziva, I can practically smell it on you. Who is he?"

"That is none of your business," she snapped though without her usual bravado.

"Ha! So there is a he."

"Argh…"

"Oh yeah, there is. Now spill it!"

"You cannot seriously think that I will talk with you about my sex-life."

"And now, you have a sex-life, too." Ziva wanted to bang her head into the desk when saw the look in Tony's eyes. Or better, she wanted to bang his head into her desk. "Well, I won't deny that it would be very interesting," Tony continued with a dirty grin but then he got serious all of a sudden. "But no. I'm not interested in the dirty details. I just want to help, Ziva. Certainly finding out that Gibbs has a girlfriend was tough so if you want to talk it out of your system, I'm here."

"I do not want to talk out anything out of my system, Tony," Ziva stood up abruptly and, brushing past him, went to the filing cabinet as if searching for something. Frustrated, she drew out a drawer and began browsing its content.

She did not want to talk about it.

"What's the problem with me?" she pushed the drawer close forcefully and turned to Tony. "I am certainly not too young because obviously his girlfriend is my age. So there must be something else. Maybe I am just too damaged. Maybe he needs something easier. Maybe I imposed on him too much. Maybe…"

"Ziva," Tony interrupted her ramblings, walking up to her. "There is nothing wrong with you. If the man can't see or appreciate it, he doesn't deserve you. Frankly, he must have some serious problem that he hasn't already made his move. You are incredible, Ziva. You are strong like nobody I know. You are nice, funny, not to mention beautiful…"

"Stop it, Tony," Ziva chuckled self-consciously.

"Why? I'm just telling the truth."

"Thank you." Tony nodded slightly. "I just thought that he has feelings for me, too."

"I know. I know. Hey, maybe the guy you spent the night with can actually appreciate all of this in you." Ziva was amazed how Tony could turn a serious conversation into banter without missing a beat and actually making her feel better.

"Actually," an involuntary smile appeared on her face as she turned to walk back to her desk. "He does."

"He does? Now you made me curious," Tony followed her. "So about those dirty details…"

* * *

When Gibbs returned half an hour later, there wasn't any considerable change in his mood. And it definitely didn't help the case that he found Ziva and Tony chatting silently by Ziva's desk. They looked so relaxed in each other's company that he hadn't seen them before. If it was about those two there was always something vibrating between them. Their communication was always intense which Gibbs believed was to keep the other at arm's length. But not now. The scene in front of him almost looked intimate.

At that moment reality hit him in the face and he visibly flinched. Tony was just the man who Ziva needed. He wasn't getting young, either, Gibbs knew that but he was still closer to Ziva in age than himself. Well, he definitely hadn't got a daughter her age.

It seemed that Paris had done her magic, Gibbs thought bitterly. He bit back a snapping remark about Rule 12 and instead opted for a head slap, passing Tony on his way to the desk.

"I hope you're talking about that report you were supposed to hand in yesterday, DiNozzo, instead of chatting with Ziva like schoolgirls with a crush."

"That's right, boss," Tony stuttered while he took his seat with record speed. "I just had a question to Ziva."

"Damn right, you did," Gibbs muttered but otherwise left the lie without any remark. He sure would not be the one standing between those two. He chanced a glance at Ziva then he turned to his desk pretending to work.

He kept looking busy for the rest of the day. McGee kept coming and going between the squad room and Abby's lab while Tony buried himself in unfinished – and quite overdue – case reports, throwing irrelevant and stupid questions at Ziva at random intervals. It was nearing 4 pm when Gibbs found himself alone in the squad room. He put down his pen and leant back in his chair with a heavy sigh, putting his good hand on his eyes. God, he was tired.

When he opened his eyes, ready to not give a damn about his work and go home to spend some time with his daughter, his eyes caught Ziva sauntering back to the squad room with a mug in her hand and a troubled expression on her face. She stopped by the large window and looked out. He watched her for a few minutes but he finally found himself walking toward her. Maybe he should give her something to catch on his feelings, he thought, and promptly felt bad about it. He had a feeling that she knew quite well how he felt and even if she didn't, he knew revealing his feelings would do no good now. Hell, he wasn't even sure about his feelings not to mention what to do with them. And anyway, she seemed to have chosen... and she had chosen well. Tony was a good guy.

"You didn't come over yesterday," he told her in a low voice as he stopped next to her, looking out of the window. Well, he couldn't be the man in her life but it didn't mean he couldn't be a friend. Even if it killed him to know that most probably she stayed away the previous day because she had been busy rolling in the sheets with DiNozzo.

"I did not want to intrude." Her voice was hardly audible but Gibbs felt as if she had screamed it into his face.

"Intrude?" What the hell was she talking about?

"I should go back to work." She didn't even look at him when she turned to leave.

"Ziva," Gibbs stopped her with a hand on her shoulder, "you're always welcome." Just to make things clear, he wanted to add that no matter what her relationship with Tony was but he refrained from it, letting her tell him about it when she was ready.

Ziva didn't say anything, though, either regarding Tony or the reasons why she felt as if she'd been intruding by visiting him. She just gave him a weak nod then hurried away followed by Gibbs' worried and slightly hurt look.

**TBC**

_Oops, more misunderstandings..._

_Thanks for sticking with me, guys!_


	5. Coming Clean

**Relationships**

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything._

_Wow, that was one difficult chapter to write! I'm not completely happy with it but it took me long enough as it is. So, here it is…_

_Sorry, ZC. I hope the last part will compensate for how things turn out in this chapter._

Chapter 5: Coming Clean

When Ziva got home, she found the apartment empty and for a moment she thought that Peter had left. She felt disappointed, even though it shouldn't really have been such a surprise for her. Peter was just like that, in and out of your life. And she wouldn't make a big deal of it if she hadn't felt the need not to be alone.

Dejectedly, she walked into her kitchen and looked into the fridge for some food. A huge smile appeared on her face when she realized that Peter had indeed done the shopping. What's more, it seemed that he had cooked, too. There was a container in the fridge with a note attached to it that read: _Dinner. :) I may be out till late, don't wait up. P_. So he hadn't left after all.

Despite Peter's instructions Ziva decided to wait, not really feeling like eating alone now that she knew that Peter was there. She walked around her apartment, not really finding her place then finally decided on taking a walk. Quickly grabbing her gun, just to be sure, she left her apartment. It occurred to her to visit Tony but then decided against it. She had already imposed on him too much…

She was quite lost in her thoughts so by the time she realized that it had begun darkening, she had gotten rather far from her apartment. She sighed and hailed a taxi but after getting in, it wasn't her address that left her lips.

Getting out of the taxi, she looked at the house with a sigh. She contemplated how to proceed. She didn't really know why she had come to visit Gibbs. After all he had a girlfriend now and the last thing he needed was a colleague to have hanging around. She sighed then started toward his door. Seeing that she was already there, she might as well go in. After all he'd said that she was always welcome in his home.

She slowly pushed open the door that led to the dark house. She frowned and tried to recall whether she had seen his car. She had, she realized after a couple of steps into the foyer. But then again, it was unlikely that he was driving around with his injured arm. She chuckled slightly then decided on checking the basement.

That was the moment when Ziva could sense the presence of somebody. She had hardly had the time to react in any way, though, when she could hear the tell-tale click of a safety. In a fraction of a second her gun was in her hand, reacting on pure instincts.

In the dim light of table lamp, alert green eyes were staring into suspicious browns as both women steadied their hold on the weapons, their aim ready. It seemed that in their sudden surprise the only thing they were able to do with a lightening speed was to pull their guns, processing the happenings was a completely other question.

So, they just stood their as if time had frozen.

"Oh, come on," Gibbs stepped into the house with a bag of grocery in his good hand and shutting the door with a loud thud as he kicked it closed. "You've gotta be kidding me," he groaned when he saw the two women with the drawn guns. When neither of them showed any sign of lowering her gun, Gibbs just shook his head. "What have I expected?" he murmured to himself as he started towards the kitchen. "If you're done pointing guns at each other, we can have dinner," he called behind his back.

For a few seconds, there was no movement in the living room but then Olivia began to shift her position.

"I'm sorry," she spoke up lowering her gun. "I must have fallen asleep then the next thing I know is that somebody's in the house."

"I should have knocked," Ziva explained putting away her gun. "Ziva David," she offered her hand.

"Olivia Dunham," the other woman returned the gesture. "It's nice to meet you." Her smile was a little hesitant.

"Yes," Ziva answered uncomfortably, putting her hands into her jeans' back-pockets. For a while the two women just stood in awkward silence. Olivia was not one for meaningless pleasantries and Ziva was too preoccupied with her own thoughts to pay much attention to social norms.

"Please, sit down," Olivia spoke up finally. She clearly wasn't at ease with the situation. She really wanted to meet her father's mysterious 'girlfriend' but now that she was standing face to face with her, she wasn't sure anymore that it was a good idea. She could practically feel the negative vibes coming her way. "I'm sure that dinner will be ready in no time," Olivia said with a humorous chuckle, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yes." Ziva allowed herself a little smile. "If you leave it to Gibbs, all he needs is a can opener."

"That is very true. Come on, let's sit down."

"Thank you but I should probably go." And with that she turned to leave but then Gibbs appeared in the doorway.

"Alright… I know that both of you like the Chili more than the Stew," he stood in the door clumsily holding up three cans, "but we only have one of it. So are you okay with the Stew or will you pull the guns again?" The girls looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Of course, you can always cook something that actually tastes good," he shrugged. Olivia didn't look impressed and Ziva looked downright despaired and somewhat offended about the prospect of spending time with Gibbs' new girlfriend. It wasn't enough that Gibbs had failed to mention a woman in his life, now he wanted them to bond. She just really didn't need that.

"I should really go now."

"Come on, Ziver. Why don't you stay?"

"I… do not think that it is a good idea," Ziva told him in a small voice, looking between Olivia and Gibbs, which left little doubt for Olivia as of why the other woman was so reluctant to stay. Ziva must have drawn all the wrong conclusions about the relationship she shared with her father and obviously it made her quite uncomfortable. She briefly glanced at her father to see whether he realized that, too and was taken aback by the change in his expression. If there was ever a time when she saw him confused and unsure... perhaps even scared, it was now. She wondered what could be possibly going on between those two but she quickly decided that it was none of her business. All she could do at the moment was to come clean about her relationship to Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

"That's just stupid," she murmured with a roll of her eyes then turned to Gibbs with that firm intention to fix the situation as much as she could. "I'm going to go out on a limb here and presume that you haven't really told about me to your friends, right, dad?" She emphasized the last word for good measure and was satisfied when Ziva's eyes practically bulged out of her head in surprise.

To his credit, his father gave her an apologetic shrug to which she answered with an expression that clearly said 'Way to go, dad'.

"Dad?" Ziva asked no one in particular, not really believing what she had heard. How did she miss it? She thought that there weren't many things she didn't know about his life.

"Good to see that I can still surprise you, David," Gibbs voice was slightly amused but he couldn't really hide the fact that he had caught on Ziva's intentions and that it had made him tense. Olivia could practically see the wall going up around her father. "So, what's for dinner?" Of course, he wasn't one to back down… Olivia suspected if she didn't do something, dinner would be very awkward.

"Well, definitely not that," she indicated the cans in his hand. "What about some meatball and vegetables?" she turned to Ziva, who nodded still a little stunned.

"Err… I'm not sure about the vegetables," Gibbs noted but Olivia dismissed him.

"Too bad it's not you who is making dinner."

Ziva raised an amused eyebrow and quickly decided that she liked Olivia.

"So, you are law enforcement," Ziva, on the way to the kitchen, gave a smile to the other woman, who smiled back, feeling the ice breaking.

"Yup. Special Agent Olivia Dunham," she said in a tone that every rookie must use when they first say their name with the "special agent" in front of it. Ziva smiled, knowing the feeling of pride the designation comes with.

"Special Agent, huh? Tony will have a field day with that if he finds out. Which agency?"

"FBI."

"Really? Tony will definitely have a field day with that."

"Why is that?"

"Well, he had some run-ins with the FBI in the last few years but I think it is mostly due to the fact that when the FBI shows up there is always something… what is the word Abby always uses? Hinky, right? There is always something hinky with the case."

"Hinky?" Olivia raised an eyebrow as she thought about all the things she'd seen since joining Fringe division. "Well, that's a way to put it," she laughed a little as she looked into the paper bag Gibbs had brought. "I can't believe this," she exclaimed and Ziva walked up to her to peek into the bag. "And I actually believed him when he said that he could do the shopping." The blond woman shook her head in disbelief as she put the cans on the counter.

"He always does that," Ziva pointed out.

"You come here a lot," Olivia observed, looking at Ziva.

"I…" Ziva started to stammer, realizing what her previous statement had implied. "Helping him helped taking my mind off of other things," she finally explained. "And it does him good that he actually eats."

"It does him good that you are here."

"Look…"

"No, you don't have to tell me anything, Ziva," Olivia smiled at her friendly. "I just told you what I see."

There was a little silence in the kitchen.

"I brought some vegetables before I left for Paris. They will do." With that she went to search for them.

"So, tell me about the team," Olivia told Ziva as she started preparing the meatballs.

* * *

Dinner was relatively silent and even though it seemed to suit the little group just all right, some tension still lingered. However, Ziva became more relaxed after finding out about Olivia's true identity. She didn't press the issue that Gibbs had failed to mention that he had a daughter and Gibbs didn't really offer any explanation.

Olivia knew her father well enough to feel the tension coming off of him even though there was no outer sign of it, not really. She guessed that there were some issues that remained unaddressed between him and Ziva so after dinner she tactically disappeared, leaving them alone.

The silence that followed Olivia's departure was awkward to say the least. Ziva finally opted for standing up and putting the dishes into the sink then she started washing up. Gibbs, discarding his sling, stood next to her and began carefully drying the clean dishes. It almost felt like before Paris and for a brief moment it crossed his mind that he should have done something before it had been too late.

"I am confused, Jethro." Ziva's voice pulled him out of his musings.

"Why's that?"

"I thought you had a girlfriend." There was something in her voice that made Gibbs alert. She wasn't just making idle conversation; she was aiming at something. And he had a good guess at what she was aiming. It made him nervous. Not because he didn't want to have that talk. God, he did want to have that talk. He had even been suspecting for some time that Ziva wanted to have that talk, too. But he was too preoccupied by convincing himself that it was a bad idea to actually pay any attention to her. And anyway, wasn't she sleeping with DiNozzo? She had to be sleeping with DiNozzo because that was his last chance for fully believing that he wasn't the man for Ziva.

"I thought you're sleeping with DiNozzo." He shot back, not knowing how to react. He went for self-defense. He had to make her see the truth.

"What?" Ziva frowned about the idea and feeling offended by his tone. "God. That is the stupidest thing you have ever said."

"Really?" he challenged.

"I am not sleeping with Tony."

"Well, then, whatever you kids call it these days." Ziva visibly drew back when Gibbs practically spat the word 'kids' into her face with such disgust as if it'd been a disease.

"Well," she blinked stunned, drying her hands, "I can assure you that I do not do anything with Tony that just remotely involves a bed."

"You certainly seem comfy with each other though."

"And it certainly does not mean that I am sleeping with him," Ziva clarified.

"Well, maybe you should." That was as close as he would get to tell her that her possible interest in him wasn't right.

"What is wrong with you?" Ziva asked bewildered by his attitude. It seemed that Gibbs realized, too, that he was acting like a jerk because his expression softened as he looked at Ziva. "We should talk," she said decisively as she sat back down to the table and kept looking at him expectantly.

Suddenly Gibbs felt cornered. Here he was… with Ziva ready to tell him which he longed to hear and yet, he wanted to bolt because his mind was screaming at him that what he wanted couldn't possibly be. Even without another man in the picture, Gibbs had no right to claim her.

"Ziva," he sat down with a heavy sigh and the encouraging smile she was giving him slowly faded away from her face. He cursed himself. It seemed that he had to spell it out for her. "You are a beautiful young woman," he began and Ziva frowned. She lifted a finger to cut him off. It the last two days it was the third time that she'd heard that line and somehow it was the first time, coming from the one man she longed to hear it, that she hadn't felt like one. She felt disappointed.

"If you are saying what I think you are saying, I do not want to hear it."

"But you should."

"Why?" Ziva snapped standing up and giving the man an angry glance. "If you want to tell me that you are not interested in me or that you do not care for me as I care for you then cut the crap, Gibbs, and say it." She gave him a hard look, waiting for him to confirm what she's just said but when he remained silent for a long time, she scoffed. It was all so wrong. She should have been happy, knowing that he had feelings for her, too, but all she felt was stunned disbelief.. and agner. "Then stop fabricating excuses. I know you, Gibbs. I know you and I accept the man you are. And I want you... all of you."

"You don't know what you're talking about." He stood up, too, to face Ziva on an equal level and met her fiery gaze with strained determination. "There are men out there, Ziva... young men, charming, funny man... men who can love you without the shadow of a past that haunts them every damn day. I thought that you and Tony..."

"If you mention Tony one more time, I swear I will punch you," Ziva warned him.

"I will only hurt you," Gibbs finally admitted, not knowing what else to say. After all it all came down to that, him not being good enough, not being strong enough to let her in and breaking her heart while she slowly realizes that. He'd been there too many times.

"You are right," Ziva whispered after a long pause, turning away from him and trying desperately to blink back her tears. She quickly collected her jacket then steeling herself, she turned back to Gibbs. "You have already hurt me. It hurts to know that you do not trust me to know what I want." With that she left.

Gibbs took a few steps toward the foyer, disbelief written all over his face. He had just let Ziva walk out on him. What was wrong with him?

"I'm sorry to say this but you are an idiot, dad." Olivia walked down the stairs, having caught the final part of the conversation.

"Come again." Gibbs blinked at her.

"You heard me. You didn't even give her a chance to talk before deciding everything on your own."

"Just let it go, Liv. It's none of your business."

"You're right. Your love life really shouldn't concern me but I can see that letting her walk out that door kills you. I just don't want you to turn your back on a relationship that may actually work out just because you feel insecure."

"Says the woman who runs back to daddy instead of facing reality because SHE feels insecure," he quipped but regretted as soon as the words had left his mouth and he could see Olivia's hurt look.

"Right… I guess I deserved that," Olivia answered taken aback. "Good night, dad." She turned and left Gibbs standing in the middle of the living room. That was just fabulous: he had just managed to make two women walk out on him hurt in one night. And his arm began to ache as well…

Gibbs was just slightly surprised when around 3 a.m. he opened the door to his daughter's room and found Olivia wide awake, sitting on her bed with her glasses perched on her nose, reading. She watched as Gibbs made his way to her bed and sat down, facing her.

"I love you, peanut, you know that, right?"

A little smile appeared on Olivia's face as she nodded and it slowly became mirrored on Gibbs', too. For a long time they sat in silence.

"I'd like to take you upon that deal," Olivia spoke up finally. "If it still stands."

Gibbs nodded with a half-smile then stood up and started towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Olivia asked confused. She thought they would talk.

"I have a feeling that it would be a long conversation," Gibbs stated simply then left the room. Olivia tilted her head, looking after her father as a smile appeared on her face. She climbed out of bed and after pulling a sweater over her T-shirt, she followed Gibbs.

When she reached the living room, Gibbs was nowhere to be seen but Olivia knew where to find her father.

They spent the night in the basement with Olivia keeping her hands busy by working on a chest Gibbs couldn't finish because of his injury. It was easier to talk while there was something to concentrate on.

* * *

_Gibbs was down in his basement, working on a little bed. Olivia's fifth birthday was coming up quickly and he really wanted to surprise his little girl with it. He and Shannon had just moved into the house and Olivia didn't have her bed just yet._

_He looked up when he could hear the door open. To his surprise it wasn't Shannon coming down the stairs but Olivia. Gibbs chuckled as he watched his daughter taking the steps one by one, concentrating on not to stumble over the edges of the huge T-shirt she was wearing. She looked adorable in one of Gibbs' T-shirt with MARINES written on her chest with huge letters. One of her shoulders was bare as its collar was too big to remain on them and its sleeves reached her wrists._

_When she finally reached the floor, she looked at her father and gave him a smile which told Gibbs that she was well aware of the fact that she should be in bed._

_He put down the sander and turned to the little girl._

"_What're you doin' up, marine?"_

"_I don't wanna sleep," Olivia told him in a small voice, still standing in one place._

"_Come here," Gibbs tilted his head and scooped up the little girl when she ran up to him. "Where's Shannon?"_

"_She' sleepin'. Didn't finish my story," she informed her father then looked at the frame of the bed that was lying on the working bench. "What's this?"_

"_Well," he placed the girl on the bench, too. "This is your bed, Liv." Her head snapped towards him and her little mouth was hanging open in surprise. Gibbs tousled her hair, laughing. "That's right, peanut. I wanted to surprise you for your birthday but I guess it won't work anymore. But you can always help me finish it." Olivia's eyes lit up and Gibbs watched amused as she began nodding enthusiastically. "Alright," he took her little hand and placed it on the surface of the wood. "You feel that?" He asked as they caressed the rough wood, careful not to hurt her hand. Olivia nodded. "Good. That's the way how you have to move the sander. Now," he reached for a sander and they set to sanding the wood. They worked in silence until Olivia began yawning._

"_Are you feeling up to going to bed now?" Olivia just shook her head as her hand went up to rub her sleepy eyes. "Of course not," Gibbs chuckled as he put down the sander and gathered little Olivia into his arms. "Tell you what, Liv," he began, brushing away her blonde curls from her face. "We go up now and put you into bed then tomorrow we continue this."_

"_Awright," the little consented finally, accompanied by a healthy yawn._

_Gibbs smirked to himself all the way up to the bedroom where Olivia slept with them for the time being. Who would have thought that his little girl liked working with wood._

**TBC**

_Thanks for reading and thank you for your patience! Oh, and in the next chapter, there is a case coming up..._


	6. Our Merry Little Band

**Relationships**

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything. However, I really wouldn't mind owning Fringe at the moment. They would surely not be talking about cancellign it. :(_

_Thanks for still being with me, guys. You are great!_

Chapter 6: Our Merry Little Band

"Hey, Ducky," Olivia stepped into Autopsy with a warm smile the next morning. She had decided to pay a visit to her father and meet his team at last. But, of course, her first stop had to be her dear old friend.

"Olivia, my dear," Ducky quickly walked up to her and pulled her into a hug. "How nice to see you! Jethro told me that you are in DC. I certainly hoped to see you before you leave."

"You are always welcome for dinner."

"Yes, Jethro says so on occasions but I'm yet to take him up on that offer. You know, Olivia, canned bean is not my favorite dish." The old ME gently squeezed Olivia's arm as he went to make some tea.

"In that case, you should come while I'm here. Say tonight..." Olivia suggested with a beaming smile. "I make some wicked lasagna."

"You know I can't say no to that gorgeous smile of yours," the old man looked at her adoringly. "I'll bring the wine."

"It's a date then."

Abby chose that moment to burst into Autopsy with a huge grin.

"Hot date, Duck-man?" she asked with twinkling eyes then without missing a beat, she turned to Olivia. "Hi! I'm Abby."

"Olivia," she introduced herself somewhat taken aback by the other woman's vibrant personality. Of course, she had heard many things about her father's favorite forensic expert but meeting her in person was something else completely.

"Abigail, don't be presumptuous," Ducky admonished gently. "Taking this young lady on a 'hot date', as you said, would be entirely wrong. She's like a granddaughter to me."

"Chill, Ducky, I know she's not your girlfriend. You've gotta be the mysterious young lady friend of Gibbs."

"Lady friend?" Olivia arched an amused eyebrow. It seemed that it wasn't only Ziva who had got the wrong idea. "No."

"Where do you get that from, Abigail?"

"McGee saw them."

"I went to pick up dad from the hospital and I met Agent McGee," Olivia explained, now realizing the source of the rumor. "Dad dragged me out of the door before we could have properly met, though."

"You see, I told you she's… wait a sec. You said 'dad'. Why did you say 'dad'?"

"Because he's my dad," the blond woman offered, this time finding the situation completely amusing.

"Gibbs?" Abby asked back just to be sure she'd understood it right.

"Yes."

"You're sure?"

"Pretty much."

For a few seconds Abby just stared at Olivia then she sighed relieved.

"Thank God! It'd have been too bad if I had to hate you."

"Hate her?" Ducky looked at her confused.

"Well... Yes. It's nothing personal, though," she was quick to reassure Olivia.

"Abigail, why should you hate, Olivia? You've just met her."

Abby chewed on her bottom lip before diverting her eyes to focus on the toes of her boots. It seemed she found herself in a conversation she didn't really want to have. "Abigail?" Ducky tried to nudge her a little.

Finally she looked up at Ducky and gave him a little embarrassed smile.

"You see..." she began uncertainly. "Perhaps… it may be that… IthinkZivaisinterestedinGibbs," she finally blurted out. Although this piece of information hardly surprised Olivia, Ducky looked sufficiently stunned.

"Oh."

"It's sure is an 'oh'." Abby looked at him, getting over her initial embarrassment over sharing Ziva's secret. "But I'll deal with them in due time. Now I'm thrilled to find out that there is a Gibblett after all. I'm so excited," she promptly pulled Olivia into a hug as if they'd been old friends. Olivia looked so stunned by that that Ducky had to smile. "I have to introduce you to the others." With that she grabbed Olivia's hand and pulled her out of Autopsy.

"See you later, dear," Ducky called after her when she gave him a slightly panicked look. It seemed he'd have to drink his tea alone.

* * *

"Hey, guys," Abby stormed into the squad room, dragging an awkward-looking Olivia after her. "Look who's here." She stopped between the desks with a huge, excited grin, not letting go of her new friend's hand.

"Wow," Tony looked up and promptly assumed his charming smile while standing up to greet the visitor. That was his lucky day, he thought… at least until he could feel Gibbs' hand connect with the back of his head.

"Don't even think about thinking about it, DiNozzo," Gibbs warned him, hiding a smirk as he walked by and kissed both Olivia and Abby on the cheek before he sat down by his desk. Abby was beaming.

"I didn't even think about anything," Tony whined.

"You did," came the reply as both Abby and McGee looked at him accusingly.

"Maybe I did but, hey, you didn't even give a chance to the lady to accept my advances."

"Tony, I would just shut up here," McGee warned the other man, believing that he was just hitting on the boss' girlfriend.

"You remember, DiNozzo, when I told you that you'd not get to a second date with my daughter?" Tony nodded, not really understanding his boss. "I lied. She is too smart to go out with you at the first place."

"What?"

"All right, before anybody gets even more confused… I'm Olivia Dunham and I'm not his girlfriend." Here she looked at McGee. "He's my father." She walked up to the young man and offered a hand to him.

"Tim McGee," he actually managed to introduce himself without stumbling over the words. God, he was so embarrassed. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to..."

"Don't worry about it. And anyway, you can blame it on my dad." Here she looked at Gibbs pointedly before turning back to McGee. "It's nice to meet you, Agent McGee."

"Tim, please."

"Yeah, yeah, we know." Tony walked up to them. "Quit flirting with the lady." He practically pushed McGee out of the way. "Hi." His charming smile was in place once again as he looked at Olivia. McGee couldn't help but roll his eyes exasperatedly. "I'm Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo."

"I know." Olivia shook his hand and raised an eyebrow when he didn't let hers go but leant a little closer.

"Just call me Tony." Olivia couldn't help the amused smile that played on her lips, remembering how an accurate picture Ziva had drawn about the man the previous day. "So no chance of… you know… you and me…"

"No." She shook her head as she withdrew her hand.

"All right." Tony straightened. "Can't blame a guy for trying."

"Where is Ziva?" Abby inquired curiously.

"Right here." Ziva appeared balancing four cups of coffee. "Oh, Olivia. I did not know you would be here," Ziva looked at her apologetically as the boys ambushed her for the coffee.

"I'm good, thanks," she gave the other woman a friendly smile. She wondered how she was handling the situation with her father.

"Wait," Tony quickly assessed the situation while he looked between the two of them. "You know each other?"

"Yes, Tony, we do," Ziva answered as she handed Gibbs his coffee. Gibbs offered her a little half-smile but Ziva went to great length to avoid looking at him directly.

"Hmm." Tony sipped his coffee looking slightly hurt by the fact that he hadn't been told about this part of Gibbs' life. But of course, one could never know what would pop up from Gibbs' past at any moment. After working with him for almost ten years and considering him one of the most influential figures in his life, the man was still a mystery. "So, Boss, how many little Gibbses should we expect popping up in the future?" Tony asked cheekily, getting over his hurt. "Just to be prepared, you know…"

"Don't anyone have any work around here?" Gibbs asked but nobody looked as if they'd been about to do what they were paid for.

"Speaking about work," Tony looked at Olivia. "What are you doing when you are not looking stunning?" Gibbs rolled his eyes while the others, together with Olivia, looked amused.

"You don't give up, do you?"

"Agent Dunham," Director Vance stepped up to the group and looked at the young agent with a grave expression. Olivia turned towards him, her grin forming into a warm smile, but when she saw the expression the NCIS director was wearing her smile became a confused frown.

"Well, that is not your 'it's-good-to-see-you-Olivia' face," she noted.

"I'm sorry, Olivia, but we have to talk. Gibbs, would you mind joining us?"

Father and daughter exchanged a questioning look then started towards the Director's office.

"Well, Tony," McGee started in a teasing tone, "You just know whom you should hit on. If it weren't bad enough that she is Gibbs' daughter, she owns a gun, too." He grinned while Tony frowned.

"God, I hope she's not FBI. That would be so wrong. She looks so much more sensible than Forrnell… or Slacks." He shuddered.

In the director's office, Vance stood behind his desk as Olivia took one of the chairs in front of it. Gibbs remained standing, too, regarding the Director.

The silence was beginning to draw out while it seemed that Vance was waiting for Gibbs to sit down, too. He didn't.

"Is this the part where I say that the other kid hit first?" Olivia asked, trying to break the men's pissing contest… in vain. "Just because I'm really beginning to feel like back in grade school when I punched Teddy Higgins in the nose an ended up in the principal's office."

Gibbs, finally giving up staring at Vance, smirked at his daughter.

"Well, it wasn't Teddy who hit first," he informed her about the fact of which she was well aware, too.

"He was the one with the big mouth," Olivia defended herself.

"Yeah, and you with the short temper," Gibbs offered and Olivia gave her father an incredulous look. At that point Vance let a small smile creep on his face as he shook his head at the duo's antics. While the pair stared at each other, Vance reached for the folders that were lying on his table and gave them to the agents.

"Well, this time someone else hit first," he stated as he, too, sat down.

The agents looked at him and reached for the folders.

"What the hell," Gibbs remarked as he saw the photographs.

"USNS Athena. Last night Lieutenant Morrison was found over the mutilated corps of two of his shipmates. He was covered in their blood but he claims that he doesn't remember attacking anybody."

"Why is this any concern of the FBI?" Gibbs asked, taking a seat finally.

"Given the strange circumstances I was instructed by SecNav to get into contact with Special Agent Broyles, who, is in command of a division at the FBI which investigates seemingly unexplainable incidents."

"Seemingly unexplainable incidents? I hate to sound like DiNozzo," Gibbs turned to Olivia with an amused smirk. "It's like the X-Files?"

"Not quite," Olivia smiled at that remark. "We don't deal with UFOs," she deadpanned.

"Right. So, what is so unexplainable about this bloodbath?"

"The Lieutenant is currently resting in the infirmary of the Athena where he was taken after he had collapsed. According to the doctor, he'd been complaining about a headache the previous day but apart from a slightly elevated temperature, he couldn't find anything strange."

"So?"

"You really don't want to read that file, right?" Olivia asked.

"That's why I keep my team." Gibbs shrugged.

"Right," Olivia drawled out, not really impressed.

"It's certainly good to know why your agents get their money," Vance wasn't that impressed, either. "But don't get used to treating Olivia like one of them. The case is the FBI's. They are just letting us help… out of professional courtesy."

"Professional courtesy, huh?"

"It's all because of that seemingly-unexplainable-part, Agent Gibbs," Olivia smiled sweetly at her father and offered him her folder open at the relevant part. Gibbs took it then looked at it.

"So, he was drugged," he stated matter-of-factly. "That's not that unexplainable."

"The seamen were practically torn apart by the Lieutenant's bare hands," Vance supplied gravely. "And that substance in his blood, it's unknown."

"Alright then," Gibbs gave in rather quickly. "When do we leave?"

"That's it?" Vance inquired surprised at the lack of more resistance on the part of his agent.

"Yeah. Why?"

"I've just never thought that I would see the day when you agree to cooperate with another agency without any objections."

"Well, I get to spend some time with my daughter," he shrugged. "Can't be that bad."

"Right," Vance stood up, the others following suit. "Just don't forget that she's in charge."

"Nah," Gibbs shook his head. "So when do we leave again?"

"As soon as Dr. Bishop arrives," Vance informed him and looked at Olivia when her head snapped at him.

"Dr. Bishop?" she asked and Vance nodded. "Alone?"

"As far as I know, yes."

"Oh."

"And Olivia… You have the authority to disclose as much information concerning Fringe Division as you deem necessary. I've already been read in."

"Understood."

"Good wind, people… and keep me in the loop."

"We'll do, Olivia agreed with a final nod then the two agents started towards the door.

"And Olivia…" The Director's voice stopped them. "I'm happy to see you." Olivia gave him a warm smile before exiting the office.

"So… Fringe Division." Gibbs looked at her with raised eyebrows as soon as they'd passed the secretary's desk. "That's why your story was full of holes last night."

"I'm sorry," Olivia started, stopping by the railing. "If it hadn't been bad enough that what I do is classified, my work and my private life got tangled up and became one huge mess." Her greatest regret, regarding the last two years and joining Fringe Division, was that she couldn't talk with her father like she used to do. He'd always been her go-to man, not even her sister knew that much about her like her father did. But joining Fringe Division had changed that all and not because her work was classified but because ultimately, with her forgotten past coming to light, her whole life became classified. She had tried to tell him everything the previous night but it was difficult to touch upon the heart of the matter without telling too much.

"What?" Gibbs scoffed with a humorous chuckle. He was a man who understood the burden of a job that cannot be disclosed so he tried to lighten the mood. "That Peter Bishop is an alien?"

"I told you we don't deal with UFOs," Olivia gave him a small smile, appreciating his effort, but then she turned serious. "He's from another universe."

Gibbs gave her a slight chuckle, believing that her last remark was only a joke, and Olivia didn't correct him.

"Good thing you can talk to me now."

Olivia let out a heavy sigh. She found it almost funny that in the last two years she had spent hours sitting in front of her phone desperately wanting to call her dad and tell him everything and letting him try to make everything right and now that she had actually had the authority to tell him about all the awful and terrifying things that filled up her life, she couldn't find the courage to talk.

"Look," she looked at her father with dark eyes. "I'll tell you and your team everything you need to know regarding this case, but, dad, you have to understand that there are things that I'm not ready to talk about." She so wanted, though. However, she didn't think that he was ready to hear about certain aspects of her life. Not to mention that she dreaded how he would react when he found out what they had done to her as a child.

"I don't like the sound of it," he remarked, noting how her features darkened. "Liz, what are you not telling me?"

Looking into her father's concerned eyes, Olivia was torn between staying silent and telling him everything from the Cortexiphan trials to the universe-crossing. Fortunately, she was saved from answering either way by spotting a figure down in the squad room. "How did he get here so soon?"

When Olivia got down the stairs she found the members of her father's team standing flabbergasted as they watched one Walter Bishop practically running around the squad room in sheer wonderment.

Olivia stopped and threw a questioning look to a nearby agent who looked sufficiently terrified and embarrassed at the same time to be the one who'd been responsible for Walter so far. The young agent gave an apologetic look and a mumbled a 'sorry' before making a quick retreat. Olivia sighed and started towards the old scientist.

"Walter," she tried to get the still wandering man's attention.

"What a wonderful interior design!" Walter exclaimed enthusiastically as he finally stopped in the middle of the squad room with eyes wide with sincere wonder as he turned round and round to take in everything. "I like the orange color. It's so bright. And that flying hippo in that corner… it's so happy. Olivia, dear, doesn't it look so happy?"

Olivia sighed, blocking out Gibbs' somewhat annoyed 'what the hell' and Tony's stunned 'Is he high?'.

"There is no flying hippo in the corner, Walter," she told him as if talking to a child and she pulled out a chair, motioning to him. "Come on, sit down."

"There is no hippo?" His face was suddenly crestfallen and Olivia shook her head 'no' as she crouched down next to him.

"Oh. But it was polka dotted, too."

"What did you take, Walter?" Olivia asked cupping his face to make him look at her. His eyes remained unfocused, though.

"A little bit of this… a little bit of that…," he answered dreamily but suddenly sheer pain settled on his features as he looked Olivia in the eye. "I'm sorry, Olivia. I'm so sorry." And with that, to the others' utmost disbelief, he began sobbing like a little child. Olivia took it in stride.

"What is it, Walter? What happened? And where are the others?"

"Astro went to visit her family…" he started after calming down somewhat, but then his focus shifted somewhere behind Olivia. "Are you sure that hippo doesn't exist?"

"Walter."

"He's gone, Olivia," Walter told her finally and Olivia almost couldn't take the heart-broken look he gave her. Her own heart was breaking, too. That was exactly why she had run. "Peter's gone," Walter clarified. At that moment Olivia's eyes widened.

"Peter?" she breathed in surprise as she looked over his shoulder. There was Peter Bishop walking in their direction escorted by an agent.

"Yes," Walter said closing his eyes as if it would be able to take the pain away.

"Peter?" Ziva asked in surprise when Peter stopped by the group.

"Hey, I thought I'd ask you to join me for lunch," he started with a warm smile but he quickly caught up something strange in the air. "But this is a bad time," he concluded as he took in Ziva's stunned expression as she managed to put the pieces together. Her eyes briefly wandered in the direction of Walter and Olivia, and Peter followed it.

Olivia slowly stood up from in front of Walter, resting a comforting hand on his slumped shoulder and faced Peter with an uncertain expression. Instictly, Gibbs took a couple of steps closer to his daughter but remained silent. As were the others.

"Olivia?" Peter was clearly thrown off-balance by her presence. He almost gave her a smile when he noticed who was sitting in the chair next to her. His features darkened and almost instantly Olivia's uncertainty turned into anger. That was when Walter turned around and seeing Peter, his wrinkled face brightened with joy.

"Peter!"

"Walter," the younger man acknowledged him coldly then his gaze returned to Olivia. "What are you doing here? Broyles said you took some personal time off."

"She did," Gibbs spoke up finally, not liking the accusing tone of the strange man who must be Peter Bishop. "She's visiting me."

"And who are you?" Ziva winced at Peter's tone which was clearly hostile.

"The man who's ready to…"

"Dad," Olivia quickly cut him off, paying only fleeting attention to Peter's shocked look. Gibbs, on the other hand, looked pleased. "We don't have time for this," Olivia addressed both of them. "Let's make a quick introduction then we can get going. You're coming with us." The last part was aimed at Peter, who took a quick glance at Walter, but otherwise didn't protest.

"Going where?" McGee asked.

At that Gibbs – giving a final warning look to Peter – snapped out of it and turned to his team. "We've got a case. Joint investigation with the FBI. Agent Dunham's got the lead on this one and I expect full cooperation from all of you. McGee, pack your motion sickness pills, we are goin' asailin'."

The young agent groaned as the team dispersed to get their bags. Abby left nothing to do walked up to the other three and offered her hand to the strangers.

"Hi, I'm Abby. I'm the forensic analyst." When the two men introduced themselves, Abby looked at them with bright eyes. "You are…?" she asked indicating between the two of them, referring to their relationship. Peter's cold 'no' and Walter's hesitant 'yes' confused her and she looked to Olivia for answers but the blond woman just shrugged with a sad expression. "Ah… All right…" she began to stammer not really sure how to react. "I'll be in my lab if you need anything."

"Abs," Gibbs called after the Goth before she'd have disappeared. "Tell Ducky to stay close. We may need him, too." With a nod, Abby left. Gibbs turned to his team. "Stop getting new friends, DiNozzo," he called to his senior agent, who stood next to Peter with an idiotic grin. Gibbs didn't like that grin. "You can get all cozy with the others on the plane." With that he left for the elevators.

"No lunch for us then, I guess," Peter remarked dryly as he and Ziva started after him. It didn't escape his attention that Ziva kept a wider distance between them then necessary. He was grateful for that as he took a careful glance behind his back and watched as Olivia helped Walter. "Mind if we take the stairs?" Ziva sighed troubled.

"That's gonna be fun," Tony remarked as he stepped up to McGee.

"I don't see how. I'm already feeling sick."

"That was fun, too, the last time," Tony turned to him. "But I wasn't referring to that."

"I don't understand."

"Of course, you don't, McOblivious. I was referring to our merry little group there," he indicated to the retreating forms of the others. "I can sense some serious tension going all directions. Come on, my young Padawan," he threw his arms around McGee's shoulder. "I'll teach you to pick up the signs." And with that, he guided the younger agent after the others.

**TBC**


End file.
